Alasdair Cain, director of Research, Development and Technology Coordination for the U.S. Department of Transportation, was one of the keynote speakers at the inaugural Chattanooga Connect conference. Photo by Angela Foster.
Chattanooga was recently the host site for a global gathering of researchers, industry leaders and policymakers for a multifaceted focus on urban mobility: Chattanooga Connect 2024. The inaugural conference, held Oct. 21-23, achieved its aims and set a high bar for next year, said Dr. Mina Sartipi.
“Chattanooga Connect 2024 exceeded our expectations as a way to gain insights into the future of urban transportation and the latest in digital infrastructure, AI and (connected automated vehicles),” said Sartipi, executive director of the UTC Research Institute, which organized the conference. “Our thanks to the many local, state and federal leaders, policymakers, technologists, industry partners and researchers who joined us.”
Sartipi also is founding director of the UTC Center for Urban Informatics and Progress.
High-profile leaders in federal research funding and partnerships served as keynote speakers at the event. Alasdair Cain, who oversees the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $1 billion annual research portfolio, delivered the program’s kickoff keynote. Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director of the National Science Foundation’s newly established Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) directorate, presented a luncheon keynote, introduced by UTC alumnus Joda Thongnopnua, who serves as special advisor to the TIP directorate.
Bob Corker (photo by Noah Camacho)
Multiple, expert-packed panel sessions filled the morning and afternoon programs, followed by a conversation between Sartipi and Bob Corker, former U.S. Senator (2007-2019) and former Chattanooga mayor (2001-2005). Now back at home in Chattanooga, Corker is serving as chairman of the board of the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative.
Once his mayoral administration persuaded EPB of the benefit of offering high-speed internet, “We became the most connected city in the Western hemisphere,” Corker said.
Corker closed out the conversation with a clear charge to attendees: stay focused on finding important solutions to community challenges.
“We’re still striving, but we’re really proud of the success that we’ve had,” he said. “Mina and the UTC Research Institute are a prime example of why these opportunities matter—because they are taking advantage of them every day. You are the kind of people who can ensure this [conference] is not just ‘an activity,’ but that you drive beneficial outcomes.”
Plans are underway for the next Chattanooga Connect conference in 2025.
Learn more
Review the 2024 conference program and presenters HERE.
More about the UTC Center for Urban Informatics and Progress is HERE.
Chattanooga Connect photo gallery (photos by Noah Camacho, Angela Foster and Gina Stafford)
UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle talked to Chattanooga Connect attendees during an Oct. 23 session in the Edney Building. Photo by Gina Stafford.
